Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse

1. Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse David Finkelhor Crimes against Children Research Center University of New Hampshire National Youth Protection Symposium November 1, 2012Atlanta, GA

3. How much CSA?known to authorities • 68,000 cases CSA substantiated by CPS • excludes much nonfamily, stranger, juvenile offender • est. 187,000cases sex crimes vs juveniles reported to police • excludes some CPS • 180,000 CSA known to community professionals (2006) • Why not better statistics?

4. How much CSA?Known or unknown to authorities from victim surveys • Est. 1.6 million contact sexual offenses vs juveniles 0-17 annually • (NatSCEV 2011)

5. How much CSA?Over lifetime of childhood from victim survey • 17% females 4% males M F % % • Rape (comp.) 0.4 3.6 • CSA known adult 0.3 5.9 • CSA peer 4.1 11.3 • (NatSCEV 2011) • CSA widespread • Mostly not disclosed to authorities

6. How much CSA?Youth Serving Organizations(incl. schools) ?????????? Guesstimate: 10-20% of adult offenders 20-30%of peer offenders

7. Risk Factors • Girls • Older children • Risk exists at all ages • Peer assault peaks in adolescence • Boys more victimized at younger ages • Conditions of family conflict and disruption • Conditions of neglect • Inadequate supervision and emotional neediness • Other victimization

8. Perpetrators • Men much more than women • Women offenders 5% • Other youth as well as adults • 37% of cases coming to police attention • 75% of cases in self-report surveys • Family 25%, acquaintances 60% and strangers 15% • family comprises 60-80% of CPS cases • family less disclosed

9. Diversity of Dynamics Intra-family sexual abuse Neighborhood, social network Peers and dating partners Adult leader/teacher/mentor/authority Older youth victimizing younger child Statutory victim/compliant victim Commercial sexual exploitation ??? Internet perpetrator ???

10. Diversity of Dynamics Intra-family sexual abuse Includes fathers, step-fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers Step-fathers, step-families higher risk Earlier onset, longer duration Can involve multiple victims Lower disclosure rate Lower re-offense rate Family violence, poor supervision, neglect risks Protective influence of early caregiving

11. Diversity of Dynamics Neighborhood, social network Friends of family Fathers, brothers of neighbors

12. Diversity of Dynamics Peers and dating partners Bullying Group assaults Harassment Humiliation motive Peer pressure Dating partners – high frequency

13. Diversity of Dynamics Adult leader/teacher/mentor/authority School personnel probably most frequent Religious, youth organization, sports Unique grooming resources Divisive disclosures Role of institution

14. Diversity of Dynamics Older youth victimizing younger child Baby sitter, older sibling/cousin, neighbor Spike at puberty Female abusers Media influence?

15. Diversity of Dynamics Statutory victim/compliant victim 12% of sex crimes vs juveniles Teens Female offenders LGBT vulnerable Allure of older partners Offenders 18 – 25 vs 25+

16. Diversity of Dynamics Commercial sexual exploitation Pimp facilitated prostitution Independent prostitution “trafficked” Risk factors: Abuse and neglect Research uncertainties Scope Onset varieties

17. Diversity of Dynamics ??? Internet perpetrator ??? Not clear that Internet perpetrator is distinct from other perpetrators Majority of internet facilitated CSA involves known not unknown perpetrators All CSA forms are migrating to electronic communications media because all relationships are “automobile rapist” “telephone molester” Non-molesting child porn possessor may be special category

18. Important Misconceptions Not all offenders are pedophiles Not all offenders are predatory Enormous diversity of sexual behaviors Cannot profile offenders Most CSA is not violent Victims sometimes protect offenders Disclosure does not always bring benefits for victims

19. Important Misconceptions Not all offenders are pedophiles half victims are post-pubescent one-third of offenders who abuse children < 13 are not pedophiles one-third of offenders are other youth ≠ pedophile Not all offenders are predatory Implication: cannot identify many on basis of interests, sexual orientation, polygraphy, motives, or screening

20. Important Misconceptions Most offenders do NOT have offense history Only 10% of newly identified offenders have prior record of abuse Implication: Even perfect background screening and total offender management success will prevent a small quantity of abuse

21. Important Misconceptions Cannot profile offenders Higher educated and better social skills than typical criminal population Enormous diversity of sexual behaviors Implication: common sense instincts about who is “risky”, and what is “benign” are often misleading. Better to train about behaviors than personal characteristics

22. Important Misconceptions Most offenders do NOT reoffend 14% adults reoffend within 5 years 24% after 15 years Juvenile re-offense rates are <5% Implications: Draconian punishment and expensive management are not needed for all offenders. Relatively good risk assessment tools are available.

23. Important Misconceptions Youth offenders generally more benign than adult offenders Generally not a sign of incipient pedophilia Recidivism rates are considerably lower Some youth appear to offend due to peer pressure or transient impulses or influences General delinquency more a problem than sexual deviation Implication: Youth offending may be easier to prevent and treat. Long-term sanctions and supervision often not necessary.

24. Important Misconceptions Most CSA is not violent In a relationship of trust Grooming, manipulation Attention , affection, incentives, normalization Implication: to extent that victims, parents and investigators think “real” CSA is violent and coercive, victims will be blamed and feel guilty

25. Important Misconceptions Children and youth do not always find the contact unpleasant and sometimes participate voluntarily Victims sometimes protect offenders Implications: “feel yucky” instruction incomplete. Youth feel guilty and blame themselves. Youth lie about what happened. Youth sometimes devastated by revelation

26. Important Misconceptions Disclosure does not always bring benefits for victims Negative response from family and friends Exposure Secondary harm from investigation Studies show: no difference in impact between those that disclosed and those that did not Implications: need to improve response. Respect child and family ambivalence about disclosure.

27. Possible Misconceptions CSA is risk factor for later MH problems, but Not all victims experience long-term distress Only 20% with current disorder Disorder rates may be falling Not all the disorder can be attributed to CSA

28. Prevention Strategies

29. 1 2 3 4 MOTIVATION TO SEXUALLY ABUSE INTERNALINHIBITORS EXTERNALINHIBITORS RESISTENCEBY CHILD EMOTIONAL CONGRUENCE + SEXUAL AROUSAL + BLOCKAGE ABUSE Four Preconditions of Sexual Abuse: A Model

30. Internal Inhibitors • Fear of detection • Bright lined perimeters • Debunking abuse rationales • Self-management skills • Alcohol substance treatment • Mental health treatment

31. External Inhibitors • Parental awareness • Youth worker vigilance • Environmental structuring • Organizational protocols and guidelines about behaviors • Incarceration and sex offender management

32. Child Resistance • Child and youth awareness of norms • Refusal skills • Emotional security • Positive knowledge about sex • Adult support

33. Reducing motivation • Treating victims of abuse • Reducing family violence exposure • Affection based parenting • Providing sexual information • Fewer images of sexual exploitation • Changing definition of masculinity

34. Promising Strategies Educational programming

35. Logic Model • Education • Resistance and avoidance training • Disclosure promotion • Secondary harm prevention • Stigma reduction • Deterrence • Improved guardianship

36. EducationalPrograms • Virtues • Proven prevention paradigm • Considerable research • Relatively low cost • Can be combined with harm reduction • Reaches potential perpetrators • Limitations • No evidence as yet that it prevents sexual abuse • Burden on schools and teachers

37. Considerable Research • Children learn concepts • Children acquire skills • Some sustained learning

38. Promising Strategies Educational programming Public awareness raising

39. Logic Model • Public Awareness (particularly media) • Deterrence of offending • Improving guardianship • Victim stigma reduction

40. Promising Strategies Educational programming Public awareness raising Treatment for victims Treatment for juvenile and adult offenders

41. Promising Strategies Educational programming Public awareness raising Treatment for victims Treatment for juvenile and adult offenders Aggressive case finding and disclosure promotion Law enforcement training Multi-disciplinary investigation/Children’s Advocacy Centers Interviewer training

42. Logic Model • Law enforcement • Taking offenders out of circulation • Reducing chance for continued or renewed offending • Deterring offending by conveying likelihood of being caught • Reducing secondary trauma to victims

43. Molester Proofing Youth Serving Organizations Screening, overt and covert Standards and norms Environmental analysis Training staff Mentoring management skills Educating youth Deputizing parents Promoting disclosure

44. Molester Proofing Youth Serving Organizations • Screening, overt and covert • Asking about previous training in CSA prevention • emphasis on organizational priorities • Self-assessment materials

45. Molester Proofing Youth Serving Organizations • Standards and norms • Physical contact • One-on-one • Alcohol, drugs • Pornography • Appearances of impropriety • Need for off-the-shelf checklists and suggestions

46. Molester Proofing Youth Serving Organizations • Environmental analysis • Isolated areas • Changing, showering • Sleeping • Unsupervised youth

47. Molester Proofing Youth Serving Organizations • Mentoring management skills

48. Skill Sets for Staff • ID abuse dynamics and risky situations • self-management • Self-evaluation for vulnerabilities • Self-monitoring and emotion management • boundary maintenance • Around agressivity, exclusion, sexual content, favoritism, fraternization, etc • reporting and advice seeking • educating youth and other staff

49. Skill Sets for Youth risky situation identification rules of conduct self-management refusal skills disclosure skills

50. Skill Sets for Parents risky situation identification information gathering supportive guardianship reporting skills